City to hold public meeting on cannabis ordinances

Comments sought before draft is completed for Taft Planning Commission

The public is encouraged to attend a meeting next week to discuss and provide input on ordinances being drafted to regulate cannabis use in Taft.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Community Center at the West Side Recreation and Park District, 500 Cascade Place.City staff is working with a consultant to draft ordinances regulating or even banning retail sales of cannabis and products like candy containing cannabis and the growing, processing and manufacture of cannabis products

The Taft City Council discussed how the city will regulate cannabis when Proposition 64 goes into effect at the start of 2018.The new law legalizes the recreational use of cannabis in private and possession of small amounts of cannabis and cannabis projects with a consultant last week.

It also permits growing marijuana and processing it.

City staff is planning to have a draft ordinance ready for discussion by the Taft Planning Commission at its Aug. 16 meeting.

All indications are that the city will not allow retail sales of cannabis and cannabis products in the city.

Mayor Dave Noerr said he was strongly opposed to that and City manager Craig Jones said the"consensus of the council is they don't want marijuana sales."

Public statements from the council indicate it may ban non-commercial outdoor growing of marijauna as well.